Is That Gas or Indigestion at Exxon?

Five days ago, Greenpeace USA and ExxonSecrets issued a report that says Irving-based ExxonMobil spent $2.1 million last year on 41 groups "who are leading the climate skeptic industry." This, despite Exxon's claiming it don't do that no more -- and that it never did since, ya know, it gave money to reseachers, sure, but never, like, told 'em what to do what that money and stuff.

Bad timing: Today, ExxonMobil also released its 2006 Corporate Citizenship Report in which it says that last year, the company increased its emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.4 percent increase over 2005. Then, whoops, here comes the news that a bunch of investors want Stanford University economics prof Michael Boskin, who chairs ExxonMobil's public issues committee, given the boot for "continuing to ignore global climate change." They're gonna tell Exxon bigwigs next week at the annual shareholder meeting -- which will be held in Dallas -- that Boskin's being on the board is bad for business. Unlike, say, jacking up gas prices, which is pretty good for business. --Robert Wilonsky